Falling Hook, Line and Sinker
by mrsloki
Summary: Emma and Hook are having dreams. Ever since their adventure in the Giant's Castle Emma can't stop thinking about him, and he can't stop himself from being drawn to her. What will come of the attraction? It is true love, or just fatal for everyone involved?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Dreams

Emma's eyes snapped open and she sighed in frustration. Why couldn't she stop thinking of him? She saw him even when her eyes were closed, and memories from the Giant's Castle replayed over in her head.

"Argh!" she burst out in annoyance, and sat up in the darkness of her bedroom of the apartment she shared with her mother, Mary Margaret. Or, as she had come to know her as, Snow White. She was still in denial about her mother being Snow White and her father being Prince Charming. She impatiently brushed some loose damp tendrils of her golden hair behind her ear and wiped some fine sweat from her forehead. Mary Margaret was staying at David's – sorry, Prince Charming's again so she had the place to herself. She heaved herself out of bed and headed to the kitchen where she got herself a glass of milk and flopped down at the wooden table. She put her head in her hand and closed her eyes as she sipped. Almost immediately however, she opened them again as a detailed image of his face flashed once again in front of her.

Killian frowned to himself in his sleep. His eyes opened slowly. What _was _that? He blinked the sleep out of his eyes a couple of times and swung to the side of his bed. He put his head in his hand and smirked. He pulled his hand down his face and walked out onto the balcony of the mansion he stayed in with Cora. They avoided each other like the plague unless the matter was urgent, but she still let him live with her. He strolled out to the balcony casually and planted his hand down on the railing. His hook hung by his side as he stared at the full moon and thought about his dream. It was Emma. Did it mean anything? Nah. He brushed a bit of his black shaggy hair out of his eyes and smiled slightly. He cast his eyes down the hill the mansion stood on towards the glittering web of street lights that was Storybrooke and looked at the apartment building he knew she currently stayed in. Then he turned abruptly on his heel and lay back down, returning to normal dreams of his Roger and his past life.

Emma awoke for the second time to warm sunlight streaming in through the window and groaned as she rolled over to check the time. 10am. She smiled and dreamily floated around the apartment for the remainder of the morning, quickly showering and dressing in the blissfulness of a lovely lie in. She headed to Granny's for a coffee and stopped for a chat with Ruby.

"Morning!" Ruby sang, smiling.

"Hey Ruby, how's things?" Emma replied, returning a friendly smile.

"Fine thanks Emma, we're just –"

The door to the diner opened and banged loudly against the wall. Ruby broke off and looked over Emma's head to the hooligan and Emma turned around in annoyance – and froze.

"AW damn! Sorry everyone." Hook quietly shut the door and winked at the general population of the diner before turning to face the bar. Emma saw his eyes widen slightly in surprise – or had she imagined it? – and he sauntered over, ordered a coffee and turned to face Emma, a grin curling his lips.

"Mornin' love." He said to her, eyes glistening. She looked down immediately, trying to control the flush that had unwelcomingly begun to creep up her face. She cleared her throat as he let out a throaty laugh and took a sip of the coffee Ruby had just placed before him.

"Shouldn't you be out terrorising innocent people in town?" she asked coyly. He smirked and said,

"That does seem to be a label I have gained for myself but no, I'd much rather stay and just terrorise you." She gave him an exasperated look and he chuckled.

"Well if you'll excuse me, I was just about to leave." She replied, grabbing her coffee and standing.

"Please don't leave on my account darlin'" he said, watching her with an amused look.

"As much as I want to stay and be harassed by you and your… charm, I really do have other places to be. Like for example, flossing my teeth to remove the awful taste you leave in my mouth." To let him know she wasn't as mean as the comment made her sound, she shot him her own wink and he leaped up, threw some bills on the counter and followed her out of the door.

"So you admit I'm charming? And how would you know how I taste if you haven't had the delightful experience yet?" he yelled after her down the street. She spun around to face him and met him in the middle of his journey towards her.

"As far as I'm aware, charming is my father's occupation. And to be completely honest, I have no intention of tasting you any time soon." She said to him.

"But charming for all intents and purposes?" he said, laughing. She rolled her eyes and turned, leaving him behind to grin at her retreating form.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Okay hey everyone, sorry there was only one chapter up last night, I had planned to post the first, second and third all on together, but I thought I'd see what people thought of the story before continuing. So, I want to send a huge thank you to the people who reviewed and everyone who followed or favourite, and if you have any opinions on the story at any point, please don't hesitate to let me know, I would love to hear your suggestions **

Chapter Two: A Difficult Choice

Hook watched Emma walk away from him, grinning from ear to ear. He studied the way she moved, the way she continuously tucked bits of her loose hair behind her ear. Then he made his way home, thinking. He shouldn't have been dreaming of her. He couldn't deny that he had felt something for her when they were at the top of the beanstalk, but he was in Storybrooke for a much more important reason. He had a crocodile to skin, and letting himself get too taken with anyone was too distracting. He quickly jumped up the marble stairs at the front of the house before making his way inside, wincing when the loud creak of the door echoed in the cold vast foyer and sighing in defeat when he noticed Cora standing at the bottom of the sweeping staircase. She made her way slowly over to him, her heel clicking on the white marble tiles that covered the floor, a serene look on her face as if she had nothing other to say to him than a comment on the weather. But Hook knew better. He knew she would want a job done, so he braced himself. But no matter how he braced himself, it could never have been enough for what Cora was about to say.

"Hook." She smiled pleasantly. "Emma Swan. She's too much of a problem and is no longer required. Dispose of her."

Emma cringed at her internal struggle. She was usually so good at making decisions, and recently had started making the right ones, or so they were in her opinion. But this one was different. The dreams she had about Killian when she _could _sleep, his face continuously flashing before her, his voice replaying in her head, versus the fact that he was bent on revenge, a pirate and capable of murder. Plus she could never imagine bringing him home to meet the parents. And sure enough when she reached the apartment, she found a hastily scribbled note on the kitchen counter informing her that Mary Margaret was with David tonight. She smiled at her parents being reunited, but how was she supposed to build a bond with them if they were never around? She cast her eyes down and decided to crack open the Ben and Jerry's, watch _Something Borrowed _and question everything she had ever thought about true love – could it possibly be real?

Killian stared in open mouth surprised, making Cora frown, puzzled.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Emma?" he asked, "Are you sure? She could be an asset." His inner monologue began to speak to him: '_Why are you worrying about this Killian? If it was anyone else you wouldn't think twice. You wouldn't even blink.' _The other side of him began to retaliate: _'It's because you have feelings for her. Admit it. They go deeper than the feelings you initially felt in the Giant's Castle, I'm talking about the feelings that spike within you when you smell her scent, see how beautiful her eyes are, when you get to spend time with her.' _He shook his head slightly to block them out, focusing on Cora again, who had simply laughed.

"No dear boy. She has already caused too much trouble, breaking my daughter's curse in the first place, showing how weak my daughter really is. Whilst I relish that, I can't possibly risk her interfering with my plan to take over Storybrooke one resident at a time. Get close to her? Get her to trust you, tell you the deepest secrets she possesses. Then leave her to me if you're too weak willed and we can get rid of her for good. But why the hesitation?" she inquired suddenly, a razor sharp edge to her voice.

"No hesitation," he laughed, hiding his discomfort, "Consider it done." With that he turned and walked to his room in the east wing, out onto the balcony and gasped like a fish needing air. He felt sick. This was ridiculous! Killian Jones, Captain Hook, did not need anyone. Did not _care _for anyone. So why did he feel sick to the stomach when faced with the task of getting rid of her? He was well aware of her feelings for him. They didn't go past repulsion. Or did they….? No, stop. He stopped the pacing he had absent-mindedly begun and made the decision. He hopped over the balcony sprightly, swung off a tree branch, landed on his feet and began his quest.

The sun had just disappeared and the moon had just shown it's face when Emma heard it. A faint tap on the window. At first she took no notice of how it continued, thinking it was just a tree branch, but when a rather large stone hit the window, she shrieked a little in fright and got up in annoyance. Who was throwing stones at her house? What the _hell? _She shoved it up above her head and looked out just as another stone came hurtling towards her and she had to duck suddenly.

"God _dammit!_" she shouted, fire in her eyes. It was immediately quenched however when she saw who was standing at the foot of her apartment building.

"May I come in?" Killian said smoothly.

"You know, you could have just used the front door to get my attention." She replied, giving him a warm smile. What? A warm smile? What are you doing? He returned it, cocking an eyebrow and disappearing from sight. Not five minutes later a light tapping sounded from the door which she promptly swung open to see him stood in front of her in all his glory, all his wounds from the car accident gone from his face and a gleam in his eyes. She stood back to allow him access, then ran from the doorway when she remembered her heartbreak marathon still playing on TV. She switched it off and shoved the ice cream back in the freezer as he rounded the corner and sat at the table, which she did too.

"How can I help you?" she enquired.

"I have a very important question I must ask." He stated.

"Yes…?"

"Well, you need to know that I am not crazy." Resisting the impulse to laugh at the many responses she could have said, she instead chose:

"That's…good to know?" he smiled at her winningly, then said,

"I was wondering if you would accompany me on a stroll this evening Miss Swan." She looked at him in astonished silence before getting her act together and acting casual.

"Oh? I suppose I could clear some time from my very busy schedule to fit that in." All the while she was convincing herself that the only reason she was accepting was because she was curious to know what it was he was after. Deep down she knew otherwise.

Emma and Killian walked through the forest together arm in arm. She wasn't sure why she liked it and little did she know, Killian was wondering the same. He cleared his throat and said:

"So here's the thing lass – " but he never got to finish his sentence. A gunshot rang out through the forest and Emma doubled over in pain, blood blossoming quickly over her silk white shirt.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Resident Assassin

Killian kissed her. Their breath mingled with each other, their lips glided over each other soundlessly, whilst their throats made sounds of wanting. His hand tangled in her hair, her palms sliding over his chest, her senses filled with nothing but him – Emma's eyes flicked open slowly. A light was directly above her and every colour she could see was meshed together. A white light, a green room, and a face… a face swam above her saying her name in worry, in desperation… a beautiful voice she loved to hear, that made her happy and shouldn't. Then, as the images in front of her eyes began to define themselves, everything went black.

The shooter put their gun down on the table. They were in trouble now, should anyone find out their identity. They had hit the Emma girl instead of Hook and if she died all hell would break loose. They took their gloves off and sat in their chair, pondering the next course of action. Getting to him wouldn't be easy now, not now he would be with her all the time, thinking someone had made an attempt on her life. Then the idea came to them. They left their house and sneaked down the street in the shadows, making their way to the apple tree that had already caused so much devastation in Storybrooke, chuckling to themselves all the while.

Killian woke up with a stiff neck, his hand still intertwined with Emma's (an action he had made amidst his worry for her the previous night.). He had fallen asleep in the chair beside her bed, but something had awoken him. Ah, he was cold. He stood and stretched, cracked his neck and shut the window, returning silently to his place by her side and thinking. Who had shot her? How dare they? His first thought was Cora. But no, she was much more careful than this… so who could it have been? As far as he was aware, not a lot of people went out of their way to kill people unless it was very serious, like him and Rumpelstiltskin, and not a lot of people had a quarrel with Emma. He thought further into the early hours of the morning until his head began to hurt and he fell asleep once again.

Emma groaned. Her body hurt. Her head felt like it was cracking from the inside out and she was finding it hard to breathe. She heard a steady irritating beeping noise to her right, and assuming it was just her alarm clock, stretched and rolled.

"OOF!"

The beeping got louder and more insistent, and pain lanced through her body as she opened her eyes and looked blurrily around at her surroundings. She laid her head on the floor as all the memories came rushing back to her. The walk, the gunshot, the pain… the dream about Killian. A couple of people rushed in through the door and helped her up and back into bed, reattaching a drip and some other confusing wires whilst squawking about recklessness and how she needed to rest. Then, a powerful voice cut through them all.

"Emma!" and in that moment, when she looked at him, the joy and relief in his eyes and etched in every line of his face, she had never seen anyone happier. If this was his reaction to her being awake, she suspected he had a much softer side than he let on.

"Killian." She smiled through the pain. Her voice was weak and fragile, and the nurses dispersed once they had made sure she was alright and her machines were up and running again.

He approached the bed and smiled tightly.

"Trust me to be at the toilet when you woke." She laughed and grimaced this time as the pain grew stronger. He shushed her and smoothed her hair back from her face, both of them looking surprised at the intimate gesture they didn't think he was capable of. He hastily pulled his hand away in fear of her reaction being bad but she reached out quickly and snagged it in her own.

"Thank you for staying." She whispered. He looked at her and she stared back at him, both with smiles of happiness on their faces, and all their walls broke down. She had constantly been pushed this way and that about Killian Jones, but to her, he had just proved his feelings. He saw this too, in the hand reconnection, but more so in the way she looked at him, and whilst deep down he felt bad about Cora's instructions, he was glad about the decision he had made when he leaped over the balcony to completely ignore them. He leaned down towards her and she smiled slightly expectantly – and the door burst open. He pulled back immediately, both of them looking at the door in impatience, and Emma's eyes softened at the sight of her parents. Snow took one look at her and covered her moth, tears threatening while Charming put his arm around her and accompanied her to the side of the bed. Mary Margaret spared one glance in Killian's direction when he excused himself, but the glance told him that she had seen everything and knew what had been about to take place.

Emma let her parents leave for the weekly town meeting whilst she discharged herself with thick bandages around her abdomen, insisting "I'm a big girl now, honestly." to Mary Margaret before she had caved and left her to her own devices. She shrugged her jacket over her shoulders and listened half heartedly whilst being informed that she was going to be fine, the whole bullet was now removed, it was just a flesh wound, she would need to change her bandages everyday and she would most likely have a scar. She nodded along until she could grasp an escape and left without looking back. She pushed through the revolving doors and skipped down the steps when someone grabbed her forearm and pulled her against themselves, knife at her throat.

"Oh _hell _no." she said, twisting her attacker's arm. What she wasn't expecting was for them to be wearing a thick woollen balaclava and be able to flip her onto her back as easily as you would a teddy bear. As they raised the knife, a sword – _a sword _– flew through the air and just missed the attacker's shoulder. The assailant looked up and ran. Killian appeared to Emma's right, helping her up and retrieving the sword.

"Are you okay lass?" he asked desperately.

"I'm fine Killian, thanks." She mumbled, looking down in embarrassment at being found in the situation she had been. His hand found her chin and tilted it up, searching her eyes to verify her health, and looking satisfied when he was sure she was okay.

"Let's get you home Miss Swan. You're a magnet for trouble it seems."

She closed her mouth when he cut her off then, for she was going to mention her dream. Never mind.

Killian walked home, having left Emma at home safely, and doubling the block for followers. The balaclava attacker couldn't have been the shooter. The shooter wouldn't have been so stupid as to turn up outside the very hospital they had put her in, and was obviously a dangerous person, so wouldn't have ran away when Killian showed. He sneaked in through the window to the parlour of Cora's mansion, but of course Cora was already there waiting for him.

"What can I do for you now lassie?" he asked, drained.

"Any advancement?" she asked, not bothering with greetings. He ignored her question.

"Did you shoot Emma last night?" he asked.

"What?" she asked incredulously, a grin curling her face at the realisation of someone else wanting Emma dead. "No, of course not. I outlined my plan of action quite clearly to you last night, did I not? Is she dead?" she asked hopefully.

"No." Hook said, looking away. It had been a long shot, and Cora's reaction of surprise seemed pretty genuine.

"Well then," Cora replied, her face showing obvious disappointment, "guess it's still up to you." She turned to leave.

"And if I don't?" Hook asked bravely. Cora was dangerous, but Hook was just as badass. "If I don't want to help you destroy her?" Cora turned and looked him in the eye.

"You're falling for her aren't you? Oh Hook, you can't seriously think she's your true love. Don't be naïve. Just get the job done and if you fail for any reason at all, I will kill her myself, in front of your eyes while you scream in pain." Leaving him cold with fear, something he hadn't experienced in a long time, she left the room.

A gloved hand reached out and plucked a round red apple from the apple tree in Regina's garden. This should do it.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay guys, this chapter was such a pain to write, I have had such writer's block . I know that sounds like a bad excuse but I didn't have any direction… Thank you to all the followers and favourite…ers, and reviewers! : ) I didn't want Hook and Emma to fall too hard for each other so early on, so I hope you guys were okay with how it kinda happened… but I'm saving the I love you's for later, should the characters ever decide to say it! ; ) This is my attempt at a bridge chapter, because usually my fanfics are quite short but I have a lot of ideas for this one, and a main plot point is coming up. I hope you enjoy it, thank you for reading : ) Also, just a last note, I think some of you OUAT fans would love the song 'Wonderland' by Natalia Kills to help describe Captain Swan. I think of them every time I hear it, and it's so great!**

Chapter 4: Parental Advisory

Mary Margaret paced around David's living room.

"I'm telling you David, I saw it!" she insisted for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I'm sorry honey, it just seems like a rather large stretch doesn't it? Hook and Emma? Our Emma? She's not stupid, she'll be well aware of how untrustworthy that guy is, surely. She's strong willed too."

"What if you're wrong David? What if her walls come down – which honestly, would be great, I wish she didn't have them in the first place – but what if they come down for him? After keeping her feelings locked up for so long and to expose them to him… what if he screws her over? She'll be destroyed. That's the last thing she needs after everything she's been through."

"I just think that you shouldn't be so paranoid about it. If he screws her over? I'll kick his ass. She'll always be my little girl, honey. But she's old enough to make her own decisions and sometimes people just have to take risks." Mary Margaret stopped pacing and looked over at him. Her frown faded into a loving tender smile and she flopped down onto his sofa alongside him.

"I love you." She whispered.

"And I love you too." He replied, kissing her head.

Emma floated through the apartment on a high. She had never felt like this in such a long, long time. His eyes, his smile. All of them made happiness well up inside of her and explode in a high pitched giggle as she thought about his touch, his scent as he had been about to kiss her… imagine! Oh how she wished he had. But every now and then a flash of darkness would squelch her happy mood… maybe he was faking it? She didn't have any love left to give? Everything ends? Thoughts like these crossed her mind constantly and her mood fell, before she heard a knock at the door.

"Yeah?" she yelled absentmindedly, used to Mary Margaret not being around.

"Knock knock. Open the door. Tick tock." came the reply. She recognised his silky voice immediately and smiled. She walked to the door and swung it open, to reveal Killian standing there with his trademark lopsided grin and eyes only for her. "Hey darlin'."

"Killian." She breathed, her face lighting up. Every reservation about him she had dissolved as soon as she saw his face. He smiled and picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him and held him around the neck as he carried her through the apartment. He plopped her on the sofa gently and leaned in for their first kiss – she got nervous all of a sudden, butterflies began in her stomach and he lips curled into an expectant smile – as a second knock sounded out at the door. They both groaned and his head fell forward disappointed onto her chest.

"Yeah? Who is it?" she called, a touch of irritation in her polite tone.

"Snow! Open up honey!" Mary Margaret called through the door.

Emma closed her eyes and wriggled out from underneath Hook, who stood at the exact moment, prepared for World war 3. Emma didn't seem nearly as fazed, but then again she hadn't seen the accusing and disapproving look in her mother's eyes at the hospital when she had figured out what was going on. This certainly wasn't going to help his case. She opened a door for the second time and both women greeted each other with wide smiles. Emma invited her mother in and Mary Margaret's smile faded ever so slightly as she noticed Hook stood awkwardly at the side of the room.

"Oh…" she said, then regaining her composure smiled widely again and turned to Emma, "I didn't realise you had company. How rude of me." Her tone held a distinct hint of want for an explanation. Emma frowned slightly, not expecting the reaction.

"Well you do live here Mary Margaret, so it's not your fault." Hook noticed the way Mary Margaret's lips tightened ever so slightly at the edges at her daughter continuously not addressing her as "Snow" or "Mother".

"No matter." Hook said, finally speaking up. "I was just leaving." He winked at Emma as she opened her mouth in protest, smiled at Snow's feeble attempts at making him stay and left the apartment. He took the steps two at a time but suddenly halted as someone approached him from the opposite direction.

"Excuse me, sorry." He mumbled, but not before the other man could plant a hand on his chest.

"Watch where you're going." He said quietly, and looked up into Prince Charming's blue eyes. "And watch what you're doing with my daughter. I don't trust you at all, and if you screw her over Hook… it's me you'll have to answer to. And I will not stop until you pay for whatever the treachery might be."

"I have no intention of doing so, sir." Hook replied contritely.

"Good. Take this as kind parental advice." And with that, he continued towards his destination. Hook shook his head to clear it and continued with his descent, more confused than ever.

Emma watched the doorway Hook had left through with bitter disappointment. But she plastered a smile on her face as she turned to face her mother, which faded just as quickly when she saw her face.

"What is going on Emma?" Mary Margaret asked stonily.

"What do you mean…?" Emma said, small. Just then, David entered the apartment and Emma jumped around, being met with a softer version of Mary Margaret's glare.

"Hook, Emma." He said softly. "Honey, please talk to us."

"Look, I realise that you are my parents and despite what you think sometimes, I love you both very much. But I can handle this. I know what I'm doing, and if I fall for him, I fall for him." She said, somewhat awkwardly. She had never been good at talking about her feelings. "It's going to be okay guys. Please trust me on this. And if I do miraculously fall in love with him at some point, I will fall in love with him, with or without your approval. But I am not an idiot. Please, please trust me on this."

She pleaded. Both of her parents expressions softened immediately and they all moved in for a hug.

"We know Emma." Mary Margaret whispered. "You're such a strong girl." She smiled and David kissed them both on the heads.

"My girls." He said, smiling.

Hook retreated to his favourite spot on the balcony and leaned on the balcony. He did have feelings for Emma, he wasn't ashamed to admit that. And her family members being opposed wasn't going to stop him from pursuing a relationship he would cherish. He was just confused. He had never thought himself possible of feeling lovey dovey feelings after what had happened with Milah, but it turned out he still had a part of himself that was capable of feeling at all. He smiled at the memory of the feeling of burying his head in Emma's sweet smelling hair, brushing his lips along her neck as he headed for her lips for the first time, wrapping his arms around her petite waist. Maybe he could be saved by someone as broken as him. Though he wasn't sure why she was so broken, he thought has he put his hand to his chin… he wasn't sure what had been done to her that made her determined to protect her feelings. Just then, the contraption called the telephone rang in his room. He hastily made his way towards it, his hands fluttering about, not entirely sure what he was to do. He picked up the…. Handset, had Cora called it? And tentatively held it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said, unsure. A desperate voice greeted him from the other end of the phone.

"Hook?! HELP ME!" yelled Emma, and the phone line cut off.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – An Unexpected Culprit

Killian ran. He ran like he had never run before. He vaulted over the balcony, landing on his feet and started sprinting. He shot down the main street, being held back at one point by David.

"Hook?" he asked, "What the hell are you doing?"

Hook gasped, out of breath and annoyed at the interruption.

"Emma." He wheezed, "In… trouble."

"What?!" David asked incredulously.

"Where…is she Charming?" Hook asked.

"Last time I heard from her, she was taking a walk in the woods, responding to a Sherriff call." David said. Hook stood and straightened himself out, then took a deep breath as he looked at the other man. Then, without a single word to the other, they both took off in the direction of the woods.

Emma concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, tearing through the trees from the man in the red woollen balaclava at full speed. Her eyes were scared, but she kept resilient as she focused on getting away. After she had experienced mystery man's fight skills, she wasn't keen on going through that again, especially unprepared. She hoped Killian was on his way, and she _had _told David where she was going before she'd set off. How was she supposed to know it was a trap? There was no one she could think about other than Killian. She heard Balaclava stomping through the woods after her and she tried to speed up. The air was ripping in and out of her lungs and with a shot of panic and dread, her foot accidentally got caught under a tree root and she went flying. She landed on her back with an "OOF!" and she scrambled back as the attacker gained on her. As she attempted to jump back to her feet, their foot made contact with her chest and pushed her back down. She used her other free leg to swipe theirs out from underneath them and rolled sideways, grabbing a branch to hold to their throat as she climbed on top of them roughly.

"Who are you?!" she yelled, "What do you want?!" Balaclava was whimpering and she frowned, puzzled. Mistake. She loosed her grip on the branch for just a second and they shoved her off, pulling her by her neck to standing position and as they pulled their hand back to punch her and knock her out, a sword came hurtling through the air, snagging Balaclava's neck cuff and pinning them against a tree. Emma gasped in sweet oxygen and massaged her neck, feeling arms encircling her and breathing in the amazing scent of Killian Jones. She sighed and laid her head against his shoulder as he murmured over and over again questions to make sure she was alright. Then he gently passed her into her father's arm as he pinned Balaclava up against a tree by his neck with his forearm and removed the sword with his other. His hook flashed menacingly in front of Balaclava's face, and when the sword was safely sheathed, he ripped off the balaclava, saying menacingly: "You've made a big mistake." Then all three people stood and looked at Balaclava's true identity with open mouths.

"Smee?!"

"You have three minutes, Smee." Hook snarled, "Fill them with words."

Smee stuttered, gasping air and looking terrified.

"C-Cora." He whispered, "Took… heart." Hook released his grip on Smee's throat a little so he could speak, but still kept him out of reach of himself and more importantly, Emma. He glanced down at Smee's chest, but of course he couldn't tell if his heart was inside of his body either way. So he pressed his hand to the smaller man's chest and waited. No thump-thump vibration met his fingertips, so he shoved Smee away and sighed. In the small space he had just created Emma slipped through and the click of handcuffs rang out. Killian turned to see Smee handcuffed and Emma looking at him sternly. She turned her gaze to Killian and it softened, and she smiled.

"I'm taking him to the station so he's out of the way. Thank you for –" and she broke off as Smee clutched his chest and fell to the ground. They all watched in horror as he shook, trying to breath, and then lay lifeless. After a short silence Hook bent down to check, and rose, saying a quiet. "He's gone."

"Guess he wasn't lying about Cora taking his heart then." David said, obviously.

After David had departed for home, and Smee was buried in the woods – what else could they do? Killian walked Emma home to her apartment and accompanied her upstairs, where they sat together on the sofa.

"The shooter wasn't Smee." Emma said.

"No…" Hook agreed. After a silence, digesting everything that had happened, Emma voiced what Hook had been waiting for her to all night.

"She's coming after me isn't she? She's going to kill me." She said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"Yes." Hook replied simply, watching her. She didn't look scared, but then again Emma rarely did – she was strong. She just nodded, staring at the ground, thinking.

"Well she isn't going to succeed." She said after a while.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Hook said, a smirk on his face. She grinned back and she fell on him, cuddling him, as he brushed his lips along her neck, her shoulder, but pulling back when the phone rang.

"Yeah?" Emma said into it, and yawned.

"Emma honey? I'm at David's again tonight. Just give us a ring if you need us. I'll be popping around to see you tomorrow, your father told me all about tonight and I'm not too happy about you having to fend for yourself." Mary Margaret said down the phone.

"But Mary Margaret, you're at David's tonight. So I'm fending for myself all night, isn't that more dangerous?" she pointed out.

"Well yes, if Hook wasn't there with you." Mary Margaret replied, a hint of annoyance at it having to be Hook, and a hit of cunningness at knowing her daughter's feelings for him.

Emma just laughed at her mother's amazing perceptiveness and hung up. She settled back down next to Killian and he wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight.

"Emma?" he said.

"Mm?" she replied sleepily.

"Let me take you out tomorrow. Dinner?" he said tentatively, finding it impossible to gauge her response.

"Sounds perfect."

Charming sat next to Snow in the bright living room.

"I should have seen it." Charming said, his head in his hands.

"Charming, there is no possible way to tell if someone has had their heart taken unless you know them really well, and not one of you three knew Smee particularly well. Stop beating yourself up about it, you all came out of the situation fine didn't you?" Snow said, attempting to comfort him.

"Well yes, but my daughter was still in danger. And Smee wasn't the shooter from the first incident the other day, either." He said suddenly.

"You think?... Why?" Snow replied, trying to act casual.

"Because. Cora was behind the incidents with Smee, and she wouldn't want Emma to be shot, she wants Emma to she can torment Hook whilst getting rid of her at the same time. It doesn't make sense why Emma was shot at all, but it definitely wasn't Smee that time. Or even Cora for that matter. No, there's another player in the game." He replied, quietly. "And I'll bet Emma and Hook will have figured it out too."

Snow just sat and looked at him, worried and afraid that for the first time, they might not be able to get out of this one, not without knowing the players.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for all the continuing support with all the followers, favouriters, and reviwers! Hope you're enjoying the story! This chapter is another bridge chapter in the story, where Hook takes Emma out to dinner, but I've been really looking forward to writing this one : ) Hope you all like it, and thanks for reading : )**

Chapter 6 – A Night Out in Town

Emma awoke to the lovely smell of food filling her nose. Her eyes fluttered open to be met by the bright sunshine and she smiled luxuriously. Then she turned her head to the side to see Killian sat at her side with breakfast and a loving smile.

"Mmm." She mumbles, stretching happily. "That's a nice way to wake up." She smiled and wolfed down her breakfast while he ate his own. Then her eyes rose to meet his and they smiled. She leaned in… then grinned and winked, taking his plate to the sink. She laughed inwardly at him muttering in disappointment under his breath. He rose to his feet and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.

"So. About that dinner…" he began. She smiled.

"What about it?" she asked, finishing the dishes and twisting around, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Tonight? Or do you have plans?" he asked, somewhat nervously.

She smirked and said, "Well Killian, I've told you before, I have a very busy schedule… Tonight sounds good." Then she wriggled out from between his body and the sink and went into her room to get dressed and changed. When she came out, to her slight disappointment, Killian was gone. But he had left a note:

My Emma,

Please forgive my leaving without notice. I didn't want to interrupt your changing (although I would have loved to have accidentally seen something, love) but I have to leave at the current moment in time to take care of a few affairs of mine. I shall be back soon, but in the meantime, arranging dinner would be helpful – I am not familiar with town yet.

Thank you, I will see you soon,

Killian x

She smiled at the 'x' on the end and sat down to prepare for the intensely difficult choice of 'which restaurant out of the two in town shall we go to?' before deciding and phoning to make the reservation at seven. Then she decided to visit her parents so they wouldn't pop in unexpectedly should something happen with Killian tonight. She grabbed her coat and left.

"Hey sweetie!" David hugged Emma as he opened the door.

"Emma!" cried Mary Margaret, rushing to also envelope her daughter in her arms. "We were going to visit you." she said smiling.

"I know." Emma said. Then continued awkwardly with, "but I'm going out tonight, so…" she trailed off, as her parents looked at her, David suspiciously and Mary Margaret inquisitorially.

"Where?" Mary Margaret was the one to ask.

"Just… for a meal." She said. David eyes grew a bit stony.

"With Hook?" he asked accusingly.

Mary Margaret smirked ever so slightly as Emma opened and closed her mouth, before resting on nodding mutely.

"Charming," Mary Margaret said, "I thought _I _was supposed to be the one out of the two of us who was concerned about their relationship?" He cleared his throat.

"You are, but you're concerned for different reasons, Snow." He said. "You're not too keen on Hook, but you still support it. I will support it if it is what Emma really wants, but I don't like the guy _at all_. It just doesn't seem like a normal… match." He said.

"Oh Charming," Mary Margaret snapped, "We weren't a normal match. And look what happened there. Now swallow your pride dear and learn to love him."

"Have you?" David huffed, but retreated into the living room. Emma covered her mouth to keep from laughing and followed the pair inside, settling down for a tea and chat about the previous night's events.

"I don't want you two involved." Emma said abruptly. They both looked hurt, so she rushed out with an explanation. "Not because I don't want your help or anything, it's because I can't risk putting you in danger, either of you. It's hard enough having to get on with the risk Killian is putting himself in, and I couldn't take it should something happen."

"_Killian?_" David muttered, making the women smile in unison.

"We appreciate your concern honey, but we know what we're doing, and we wouldn't even entertain the notion of letting you face this… psycho alone." Mary Margaret told her.

"But Killian's going to be with me." Emma groaned. "Alright, alright." She said exasperatedly as her mother started to open her mouth, letting the matter drop for the moment. Just then her mobile rang.

"Hello?" Emma answered.

"EMMA?!" came a yell from the other end. "CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

"Killian?" she said wildly.

"YES! CAN YOU HEAR ME ALRIGHT THROUGH THIS BLASTED MECHANISM?" she put her hand over her mouth and smiled, before taking a deep breath and trying to keep her voice steady.

"Killian, you don't need to shout, I can hear you perfectly." She said, her voice barely avoiding full out laughter.

"Oh." He replied sheepishly, from the other end of the phone. "I was just… calling? You, to tell you that I happened upon a lovely shop whilst out and about and am happy to tell you that after a very lengthy discussion, a few strong words and maybe a threat or two, I have acquired a beautiful dress for you. I think it will really compliment your eyes." He added, as if he wasn't sure the buying of the dress would make her happy enough.

"Oh, Killian, you shouldn't have!" she said awkwardly, smiling at both the gesture he had made and David's very obvious eye roll.

"You should get back here to your apartment so we can try it on you." He said slowly and suggestively.

She bit her lip.

"Be there soon." She said, and hung up.

"How did you get into my apartment?" she asked, laughing.

"I have a hook in place of a hand darling, and your apartment lock can't exactly rival the SDI's." he said, winking.

"SDI?" she frowned.

"You know, the police force that is really big here. The ones who are really important and serious." He said, suddenly worried he'd made yet another mistake.

"Oh, the FBI?" she said, her face lighting up with mirth. Surprisingly, he felt a blush creep up, but pulled her into him so she couldn't see and held her until it was gone, savouring the feel of her petite body against his tall and slender one.

"That's the one." He mumbled into her hair. She pulled her head back and said,

"So… you have something for me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He smiled and took her hand, leading her to her bedroom. He turned just before the door and covered her eyes with her hands, then steered her by her waist into the bedroom, positioning her and taking her hands away. She gasped and smiled, turning and hugging him.

"It's… it's amazing!" she gasped. She turned around again to look at the beautiful deep blue dress, flowing to the floor and her eyes moved greedily over the low V-neck, soft material straps and silver jewels that decorated the under bust.

"Killian, where did you find this?" she asked, turning and smiling. He stared at her, loving the smile and scanning her face, noting how truly beautiful she looked. He slunk away and to his disappointment, when he returned, she'd already changed. She just winked and said,

"Couldn't wait to get it on."

Killian took Emma's arm and led her into the restaurant and pulled her chair out when they were given their table. It was a lovely little place, a warm air but not so casual that Emma's dress was unnecessary. She stood out, mind. He watched as she tucked tendrils of her flowing hair behind her ears and smiled. When he was meant to be giving his order, he was too busy watching her and had to be asked twice. She smiled secretly, but he caught it.

"So." He stated when their waitress had walked away.

She looked up at him, genuinely wondering what was going to come next.

"So… what?" she asked.

"There's actually something I have wanting to discuss with you." He started hesitantly.

"Yes…?" she inquired, interest perked.

"I wanted to talk about… us." He said, looking down. His eyes flicked up again in time to catch her mouth open and close, look down and then look up with a stunned expression.

"What?" he asked quickly, worried he'd hurt or offended her in some way.

She expelled air through her nose and smile, shaking her head slightly.

"Nothing. I just haven't been a part of that word in a very long time. _Us_." He smiled; glad he hadn't messed everything up and was happy when she said, "So what would you like to start with?"

"Well… Emma, I have been alone for a very long time now. I'm over 300 years old. I haven't loved since Milah, who we briefly touched on during our journey up the beanstalk. I'm not used to these kinds of feelings anymore and to be completely honest – because that's what I think we should be with each other, honest – I didn't think I could experience them anymore. But since we met, flirting aside, I haven't been the man I used to be, and I have couldn't be happier to realise that. Of course, I'm still cynical and sarcastic, but you've brought light to me, sharing the light inside of you with me and it's made me a better person. And I think it's time to solidify our relationship, so consider this me… asking you to be my other half. Asking you to be in a relationship with myself." Having said his part, some sections feeling so unnatural being a badass and all, he looked at her worriedly, finding it impossible to gauge a reaction yet again. He could read her like an open book, but when it came to things that meant something so deeply to him, he panicked and couldn't see anything on her. So it came as a welcome surprise when she smiled.

"Killian, I've been in love once too. It ended badly, as yours did, and I thought I would never recover from the pain. It's one of the main reasons that I am the way I am, why I have so many walls. I don't want to get hurt. But every now and then, someone comes into my life and I let down my walls. I did it for Henry. I'm doing it for Mary Margaret and David. It's a big thing for me to do that, and I've always been scared of wasting my feelings again on someone who doesn't deserve them. But…" she trailed off, pausing. "Whilst I'm always going to be defensive and cautious, I trust you. Maybe against my better judgement." She added with a laugh." But it would be my honour to complete you. You complete me." She said, smiling shyly. He grinned, and began to get up to embrace her in front of everyone right then, but then:

"Your food, sir." With a small growl and a tinkling laugh from Emma, he sat down and dug in.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – In the Beast's Den

Emma flopped down on her couch, exhausted but incredibly happy. Her mind drifted back to the blissful memories of the evening. Killian confessing that he had feelings for her…. And her finally finding the courage to allow him in as an important part of her life, an important part that she hadn't granted to anyone since… well, she grinned and sighed happily. She thought back to the beginning of their encounters, to the day she woke up in frustration at the fact she couldn't keep him out of her head. The chance meeting at the diner. The walk in the woods. The gunshot. She frowned at that last one. It seemed strange. It hadn't been Smee, and if someone was trying to kill her in a manner as serious as a shooting, it seemed odd that they wouldn't have finished the job. Yet, there had no more attempts on her life. Unless…

"Misfire." She breathed. "It wasn't meant for me. Killian!" she shoved her body up off the sofa and flew through her front door.

Killian leaned once again against his balcony, basking in the cool night air and smiling at the night's events. He would admit, he had thought her agreement to enter a relationship would have been a long shot, but he had been pleasantly surprised at the outcome. He stared at the moon, remembering the amazing walk home, his hand intertwined with hers and her head upon his shoulder. How he felt with his arm around her waist and – a cold stretch of metal pressed against his throat. His eyes flicked down long enough to identify a knife, and thinking it was Cora, laughed.

"You wouldn't kill me, Cora. You need me darling."

"Shut up." A gravelly voice hissed. That's when he tensed. "I'm coming for you Hook. I will kill you. This is just a scare." Then he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head and pain crackled through him as he fell forward and everything went black.

Emma's feet pounded on the pavement as she blew like a whirlwind towards the mansion no one ever approached. But Killian had confided in her, told her it was where he stayed. He'd just warned her to watch out for Cora if she ever did visit, in a mocking tone. He never thought she would be so reckless as to visit. But he was wrong. She vaulted a hedge and tip toed around the back, stepping over branches and gliding soundlessly through the long, overgrowing grass, breathing heavily but desperately trying to mask it. When she was shadowed by a large marble balcony, she looked up and blanched when she saw a finger wearing Hook's ring sticking through the small pillars that help to counter top up of the balcony. A tear rose to her eye in fright and she whirled around… and came face to face with Cora.

"Hello dear." She said, smiling sweetly. Emma's eyes hardened and she opened her mouth to yell, but her yell came out a muffled grunt. Her hands came up in confusion and she felt the felt gag Cora had conjured. She made an indignant sound and clawed at it, but Cora grabbed her arm and dragged her, squirming, through the vast house. She screamed against the material, eyes darting around the room and taking note of the features: the windows, the location of the exits, and her head rang with pain as Cora threw her down some stairs into what looked like a stone basement. It was dark asides from the moonlight flooding in around Cora who stood, silhouetted against the framed sky, laughing.

"Goodnight sweet Emma." She grinned, and slammed the door shut, plunging Emma into darkness.

Killian's eyes opened slowly. He moaned in pain as he tenderly felt the ever rising lump on the back of his head and he slowly pushed up off the ground, standing and grabbing the balcony as an anchor while his head swam and vision blurred. He crumpled against the railing, holding his head in his hand and looked through his fingers into his room. Quiet. Nothing had been left disturbed by his attacker, there were no signs as to anyone ever having being in there. Or was there? He walked slowly, staggered once or twice and entered his room through the open chiffon curtains. His eyes moved around the room, noting every little detail: the placement of his few belongings, searching for anything that might have been out of place. Then something glinting caught his eye. There, underneath the rug was a ring. He bent over and picked it up, lifting it to eye height and examining it closely. He had no idea whose it was. It was small, pure gold and bore an inscription inside it:

"He who fears death fears naught but me."

He frowned and pocketed it, walking out into the hallway and down the steps as a door slammed loudly in the kitchen.

"Cora?" he yelled loudly.

"Hook!" she yelled back, her voice slightly muffled from sounds in the kitchen. He approached through the heavy oak door and hopped up onto a black marble counter, eyeing her wearily.

"What was all that noise about?"

"What noise?" she asked casually, abruptly turning and busying herself with using her magic to wash the dishes.

"The slam of the door earlier." He said cautiously and suspiciously.

"Oh nothing dear boy, the wind blew through the house quite suddenly. It was nothing to worry about." She looked at him and met his eyes, nodding almost imperceptibly. It was a warning, to agree with her story or face her consequences. Killian weighed up his options and blinked.

"Okay." He agreed, not wanting an argument about his suspicions, and too interested to hear what she had to say on his recent attack. He changed the subject. "I was attacked. Here, in my room."

Cora's eyebrow lifted. "I'm sorry?" she asked sceptically. "No-one can get in this house without my knowing about it Hook."

"Yes I know, which is precisely why I'm so interested to find out where you were 30 minutes ago, Cora." He replied tightly. But even as he searched her face for even the smallest sign of recognition, all he could see was anger at his implied accusation and disbelief that someone had managed to sneak past her defences. He looked down as she opened her mouth.

"I was down here; I've been down here all day. Don't accuse me of anything without any good evidence Hook. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important matters to be attending to such as finding out who managed to better me, than being stood here having lies flung at me."

"I never accused you of anything Cora, I just-" he broke off as she'd already left the room, and left through the kitchen door to go and see Emma. At least someone would listen to him. He loved her.

Emma slammed her body weight against the door that lead into the kitchen yet again. She could hear Cora and Hook just outside talking, so why couldn't they hear her persistently trying to break down the door? Of course – Cora had enchanted it. She gave up and sunk down to the ground. Someone had attacked him? She knew it was coming, and she'd hoped she hadn't been too late. Who could it have been? She laid her head against the heavy door and a tear of despair slipped down her cheek, before she angrily swiped it away and headed down the stairs and back into the basement, looking for something to help her open that door.


End file.
